SOURCING BELIEF: USING OBSIDIAN SOURCING TO UNDERSTAND PREHISTORIC IDEOLOGY IN NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA, U.S.A

Abstract

Large obsidian bifaces from northern California have long been known as non-utilitarian ceremonial and wealth objects. Despite their stylized form, bifaces were manufactured from several different obsidian sources. Glass Mountain in Siskiyou County, California was one source for black obsidian bifaces. The lithic assemblage at Glass Mountain and x-ray fluorescence data from the surrounding region indicate that Glass Mountain obsidian was used almost entirely for biface production, and was neglected as a source for utilitarian objects. Just as obsidian objects fulfilled utilitarian or non-utilitarian functions, obsidian sources retained special roles within the context of prehistoric culture and belief systems.